Life Through Our Eyes

Author: harlowkatie

GUYS! Guys. The Howling Tongues released their new album BOO HISS on Tuesday and boy, have I got a review comin’ at you full speed ahead.

As per usual, you can expect heavy rock’n’roll tones, rebellious lyrics and driving-to-work dance parties. However, this album has a new uniqueness to it. There may be hints of Jack White circa The White Stripes and Pink Floyd’s spacey influence, but one thing is truly certain: this album is fully The Howling Tongues.

The rock’n’roll album you’ve been waiting for starts off with an anthem called “Raw Power in a Red Dress.” With gritty guitar tones, quick organ sweeps and a loud 1-2-3-4 count-off, the song is a perfect fit to start off the BOO HISS experience. “Raw power in a red dress. Her legs get it started but her hips do the rest” is the perfect frame for such a dance-fueled song.

The fast paced energy holds on tight in “The Shakes,” their single, “Vivian” and “Alone.” Davey Rockett reveals his bluesy and soulful voice while the band creates the perfect pocket of unifying melodies and punchy drum beats. The hook, “I’m addicted to ya, baby. I need to medicate, I’ve got the shakes” quickly induces dancing and singing along. “Vivian” and “Alone” follow suit in what continues to encourage gyrating dance moves to solid power chords and electrifying hooks. Find my review of “Vivian” here.

The Tongues somewhat slow it down for “Belladonna.” This song is definitely a favorite of mine, but then again, I’m a sucker for a piano-lead power ballad. Thomas Wainwright starts the song off soft and sweet with angel-like piano fills. After a few bars, the song takes off with the entire band and a sort of slow bounce coming from Nick Magliochetti on guitar. The verse is pure ambiance, and then the chorus kicks in with a thicker and grittier sound. The chord progression builds up to the end of the chorus and then drops to concentrate back on to the piano and the original sweet melody. A second hook that starts off with piano and guitar playing against each other completes the bridge of this musical genius. With the addition of drums by Tylor James, and the eventual fill of bass by Brandon Witcher, the whole band comes together with so much emotion to create what I think to be an absolutely intoxicating song.

The album kicks back into high gear with “Greatest Lover Around.” The song starts off with a full band tick and smooth falsetto. After a repeated verse, the song fades into a spacey distortion with the lyric, “You make me sick when you lay it on thick, girl.” This sets off the eruption of the full band back into the chorus and a wave of loud howls from Davey. The chorus repeats and Magliochetti introduces his guitar tones evocative of The White Stripes, however still distinctive of The Tongues.

“Crooked Eyes” is a tune to stomp your feet to. It is full of bounces around the piano, deep and soulful vocal tone, and an unforgettable hook. The bass line and drum pocket come together to work its listeners into a clapping frenzy. If you’ve been to one of their shows, you know that The Howling Tongues are great at getting the crowd involved and excited; and by the end of “Crooked Eyes,” the inclusion of harmonica and a loud howl of “Crooked Eyes” do just that.

Next comes “Space.” This song gives off this otherworldly vibe illustrated in the name: spacey. The band does a great job of painting pictures with their music and “Space” is a perfect example. Listening to this song, you’ll hear descriptions of atmospheres and gamma rays as well as incredible drum fills and interesting sounds and effects coming from the rest of the band. An abrupt ending leads to the final song, “S.O.S.”

The chorus of this song is shouted like an anthem, “I don’t care anymore.” Rebellion and contempt for conforming are the main points in this song. It is another great song for crowd involvement and chaotic dancing and a beautiful way to end such a powerful album.

They’re back. The Howling Tongues have released their new single titled, “Vivian” and it picks up right where The Tongues left off. The new single is ready to take you to another galaxy with fiery melodies, guitar riffs, rebellious lyrics and deep organ tones, all reminiscent to the sounds of Queen and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. However, unique in all the right ways.

The song is about a fun-sucker named Vivian and her manipulative and dismal tendencies. Lead singer, Davey Rockett starts the first verse with just his vocals and guitar, slowly building with the addition of drums. Then the song erupts into a full-band punch in the face that is sure to get anyone dancing. That’s where those fiery melodies come in. “Vivian, I wanna get you in the daylight” is almost literally a howl setting the tone for the raw emotion coming from the song.

And it doesn’t stop there. The whole band works together to create a truly rock’n’roll tune. Tylor James on drums, Nick Magliochetti on guitar, Brandon Witcher takes the bass and Thomas Wainwright on the keys. This band has orchestrated another anthem for the people who thought rock’n’roll was dead.

No holds barred, “Vivian” is now available for download on all online music retailer and streaming outlets. The band has also announced that a 45RPM vinyl of the single will also be available for pre-order.

No matter the sweet words they’ll throw around and the loving touches that will send you into a deep, protected sleep — they will wake up one morning and realize that it’s not you. It was never you. It could never be you.

When someone doesn’t choose you, regret will flood your already drowning mind. You’ll spend hours crying over the times you were too stubborn to kiss him, knowing that you can never make it right. Chaos will build a playground around your heart leaving you to wonder how someone could claim to love you so much, yet not enough to fight for you. Your heart will be broken and your eyes sharp daggers. When someone doesn’t choose you, change is inevitable. The person you once were will become unrecognizable.

Skewed logic will convince you that you aren’t good enough, and you’ll be too obstinate to admit how badly you’re hurt. You’ll hate yourself for being the one that loved more — the one that loved too much. When someone doesn’t choose you, you’ll be left all alone to wonder why. Closure will become a fantasy and you’ll learn to live with this new, excruciatingly harsh reality.

There will come a time that it clicks. It will click not only for the one you once adored, but it will click for you as well. After months of wracking your brain for what went wrong, you’ll realize that the love you shared was good. It just wasn’t good enough to fight for.

I just had a full week off from work and it was glorious. However, it’s a new week and it’s back to work for this nanny. *pouting*

During my wonderful week of relaxation, exercise and pigging out, I found myself at a burger bar in Atlanta called Grub! It is located in the Cobb Galleria off Cobb Parkway. Holy. Cannoli. Let me tell you about it.

Some friends of mine suggested the place and I have some major things to share. My friend Kaitlan and I shared a burger called the Texas Luau- consisting of pulled pork, a grilled pineapple slice, jalapenos and some amazing sauce magic. When I eat really delicious food (or any food at all) I dance in my seat and smile while inhaling the goodness.

This restaurant also serves a series of alcoholic milkshakes. Uhh, YUM. I ordered the mint chocolate chip milkshake that can be served with Vodka, but I opted out because I know my limit. Kaitlan ordered the Nutella milkshake which is only served up virgin style. I slurped mine down in what seemed like one gulp.

My tummy was so satisfied after a day of sun bathing at the pool. There’s just something about those kinds of days that give you such an appetite. No complaining here!

Try this place out while you wander around Atlanta, or make a special trip just to experience the glory. It won’t disappoint. Have I ever lead you astray? 😉

Hi, friends! I recently hosted a party just because and it was called Nueve de Mayo, well, because there was no other justification other than it was on the ninth of May. And my friends and I really like to party.

As I was filtering through ideas for refreshments, I came across a recipe for Jell-O shots. Not just any old Jell-o shots, these were inside of a quartered lime. I was sold to say the least.

Not only were they a delicious, practically mini-margarita, they were also SUPER cute. I found the recipe on food blogger, Jaymee Sire’s blog, Brit + Co. The recipe will make around 24 Jell-o shots and calls for:

6-8 limes

3 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice

1 ounce water

¼ cup sugar

1 package Knox unflavored gelatin (2 teaspoons)

3 ounces good quality tequila (I used Jose Quervo Gold)

1 ounce Grand Marnier or Cointreau (Triple Sec if you’re desperate)

Sea salt or large crystal sugar for garnish

The hardest part of the entire process is hollowing out the limes. First you want to halve each lime and squeeze the juice into a measuring cup. After each lime is juiced, you should prepare to find some paper cuts on your fingers and begin to hollow out the pulp from the limes. I found it easiest to use my fingernails and get under the bottom layer of the pulp. Once you get the skin off, it should all peel off in one piece. Place your lime halves into a mini-muffin pan.

So you’ve got your hollowed out lime halves, now you want to work on the good stuff. Combine the fresh-squeezed limejuice from your measuring cup, water and sugar. Then, sprinkle the gelatin into the mixture and warm over medium heat. Stir the blossoming concoction until the sugar and gelatin have dissolved.

*Side note: pouring your mixture through a small strainer will remove any unwanted pulp*

Stir in your preferred tequila and the Grand Marnier and pour into the lime halves. Using something with a spout, like a measuring cup, eases up this step.

Once you have your lime halves all full and happy, refrigerate them for 4-6 hours. Over night works best, just for safe measure.

Once your Jell-O shots have gelatinized fully, take each lime half and cut it one more time so that you have 4 quarters per lime. Arrange on a tray and serve!

Super fun fiestas are one of my favorite things. Add a lime Jell-o shot and you’ve got a happy Katie. Try out this recipe and let me know how it works! I’m all for your own variations as well.

Hello, gracious readers, Katie here! As Mariel mentioned in one of her previous posts, we are still very new to WordPress and all of the different buttons and gadgets. Bare with us as we make this blog everything it was meant to be.

Getting into the heart of why we started Through the Looking Glass , I wanted to share with you my latest adventure!

I just got back into Atlanta from a beach trip in Apalachicola, Fl; more specifically Saint George Island. And what a beautiful island it was. My favorite day of the trip was Friday when we all toasted on the beach with cold drinks and fresh fruit by our side. I made some mean margaritas that day: Jose Cuervo Gold, Jose Cuervo Lime Margarita Mix, and ice blended and garnished with lime.

It’s the simple things that make traveling so wonderful, not all of the expensive shopping and restaurants – while none of that is any less desirable. Lazy beach days are just one of my many simple pleasures in life and it is safe to say that, margarita in hand, I enjoyed myself 100 percent.

However, if you’re the kind of person that loves to stay busy and moving while on vacation, I’ve got you covered on that, too. We all went to a beachy bar on Friday night called “Eddy’s Teach’s Raw Bar” located right on the island. Live music, beer and wine filled the air while I twirled around the sandy dance floor. Being famous for their oysters, I was a little upset that I didn’t try any. They looked delicious.

Day two, we made the hour and a half long trek to Panama City Beach. As soon as we got there, my sister and friend, Olivia committed to the “Sling Shot” – a ride for adrenaline junkies. Find a link to the Instagram video below:

After that rush, we all gathered our jaws off the floor and went to Pier Park where there is all kinds of shopping, food and carnival rides. With the location being right beside the Panama City pier, the place was packed. We stopped off in Kilwins Creamery where I scarffed down a sugar cone of key lime pie flavored ice cream, A.K.A. the best thing to ever happened to me.

For dinner, we went to a steakhouse called Angelo’s . I ordered the Ladies Fillet with steamed vegetables in an attempt to save my bikini body. The restaurant offers the infamous A1 Steak Sauce, but I opted for Angelo’s signature steak sauce. Not a bad decision! With sweet and spicy combined flavors, it added a kick to my steak.

After dinner, we hopped in the car and decided to go race Go-Karts. With each adult ticket being $9.50, it was a little bit on the expensive side, but quite a ride indeed. We raced on a track called “The Golden Gate” that has a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge on the course. With the rough transmissions and picked leather seats, it was not the most comfortable for my gnarly sunburn, but it was fun nonetheless.

Such a family-fun trip to the beach with some alcohol left over! Its now back to reality and work and responsibilities until the next vacation.